Your horse panted as grass, trees, bushes, and flowers passed your vision over and over again. But you focused only on the sorrel horse ahead of you, and its red-haired master. "Prince Kouen! Where are we going? Why are we going so f-?" You cut yourself off when you noticed he was slowing down. You followed, Tornado neighing in defiance when he figured out that he couldn't go ahead of Enchantress, Kouen's horse. "No, Tornado!" You snapped as he reached over to bite the female horse. "I'm sorry about him. He likes being in the lead," You told the Prince. Kouen just looked ahead. "Why did you take me out here?"
"You wanted to collect some herbs before winter, right?" Kouen asked, finally looking right at you. "I need to get away from those idiots, so I decided to be your escort." He went on.
"Those idiots...? Are you referring to Lords Seishuu, Gaku Kin, Shou, and Kokuton?" You asked in confusion. He nodded. "I see. I'm sorry they're being annoying," You told him, recalling how much of a toll they could be. Especially Seishuu, always touching your things. You smiled at how Gaku Kin had hit him upside the head. Hard.
"Not your fault. Well, Tornado gets his wish. I am only here to get some quiet." Kouen went on, pulling back. Tornado whinnied in triumph. You chuckled, running a hand down his neck.
"You really are a bossy little guy, aren't you?" You murmured to him. Then you realized that it was odd, feeling Kouen keep his pink eyes on you, and not the other way around. You're just being self-conscious, honestly! Kouen doesn't care about you, he's probably thinking about something else! You scolded mentally while heading over to the only forest in the area. Soon your horses were side by side while silence fell around you.
You sighed, wondering what to say. But what were you supposed to say a prince? A person who captured a dungeon, no less? Kouen was a mystery wrapped in an enigma with a nice bow to top it all off. Even with your abilities, you couldn't figure him out. He was your General Commander for over four months now, you had healed his soldiers and talked with him about the safety of them for all that time, and yet for all the effort to know him, he was still unknown.
You could never simply break the ice. Funny, considering his Djinn was a fire Djinn. One would think that he was as open as they came. Glancing over at the male, you noticed he was staring at you.
"Eep!" Your noise startled Tornado into a gallop, making you reach the woods first. When Kouen caught up to you, he started laughing hysterically. "S-shut up! You startled me, that's all! What were you even doing, staring at me like that?!" You demanded, demounting. Kouen kept laughing for a little bit then smiled down at you. You blushed. That smile and laugh was a rare thing, gained only by his siblings and that which he found to be truly hysterical. You had heard that not even his closest siblings, Koumei and Kouha, had heard that laugh.
So for you to hear it... You must've died. After pinching yourself, you were sure you hadn't. But that made no sense! Looking at Kouen with your mouth agape, ready to speak, he beat you to the punch.
"Sorry. I just find it funny that you managed to become so startled that Tornado also became startled. It was very funny." The redhead explained. You flushed harder. While you had to admit it was funny as well, you didn't like how innocent he looked when laughing. No, his face was now forever stuck in your mind like that. "Anyway... What exactly are you looking for?" He asked. Glad to change the subject, you turned around, observing the many plants nearby.
"Well, what I want to find specifically is something that looks pretty similar to this," You answered, pointing to a meadowsweet plant. "Meadowsweet's useful for colds, mostly. But if given in large enough doses, it can become painful. Which is why I want its cousin- forestsweet. You see, forestsweet is much more useful when treating illnesses. And with the onset of winter, I need all the forestsweet I can get."
"Okay..." Kouen sighed, picking up some of the plant's flowers. "And what's the cousin look like?" He asked.
"If you're going to help me look for it, then I don't mind telling you. The leaves are split down the edges here and here with a red hem. Then the flowers have green-colored veins. Don't ask me why; it just does. But the forestsweet will probably be deeper in the forest, by some crevices. They don't like much sunlight and grow best in stones." You explained while gesturing to the plant's leaves. "You don't have to help me if you don't want to. I pestered you about it, I'm just glad I'm doing this now while the plants are still healthy." You went on while the two of you headed deeper into the forest.
"I should. You said you want as much as you can get, right?" You nodded in agreement at his question. "Then it'll be helpful to have an extra saddlebag and set of hands, won't it?" He sighed as you stopped in your tracks, getting distracted by a Rosebush. "What now?"
"I'm so sorry. It's just... Roses are so pretty!" You gushed, looking at the golden petals. "I just love them. They have so many unique uses and, if we process them correctly, imagine the health benefits that could arise! Even though it's been so long, with many healers before me, we're still just in the learning stages! The old tactic of passing down knowledge accumulated through the ages is outdated if you ask me. Imagine how much we could learn if we wrote this down, experimented with it!" You rambled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I tend to shoot off my mouth when it comes to healing herbs and the like."
Kouen snorted. "You're fine. Excitable? Yes. Annoying? No. I do the same with history texts," He informed, pausing beside a small tree. "It's kind of comforting, finding someone else who does something I do. Koumei always sleeps through my rants, Kouha interrupts, and everyone else tends to leave before I can finish." The male went on, sighing. From the way he was acting, and the irritation coming off him in waves, you could tell he was quite annoyed at the fact that he had no one to talk to a lot of the time.
"If you want, I'd be happy to listen to you for a bit." You told him. "Besides, it's a way to pass the time! Plus, this is the best way to get to know you! I never knew you liked history!" You went on as he glanced at you in disbelief. The male paused, deciding if you were lying or not, then launched into his rant. You listened as the two of you went through the forest, picking up forestsweet and other healing herbs on the way. "That's some very heavy stuff," you commented when he finished the rant. "But I can see how you would enjoy it." You added.
"Thank you for listening to me. I might be a prince, but I don't get to enjoy a talk like this often." Kouen told you with a small smile. You nodded, smiling back.
"Of course! I enjoy getting to know people and hearing their outlooks on life!" You told him just before a drop of water splashed on your nose. You looked up at the sky, noticing that it had gotten dark and cloudy. "Oh no!" Kouen looked up as well, a frown replacing his normal stoic look.
"We'll have to seek shelter." Kouen sighed. "I didn't think we left that late!"
"I thought we'd only been out a couple of minutes," You agreed, following him into a shallow cave. "I wonder if the others will worry?"
"I told them where we went, so if we're not back by morning, they'll find us," Kouen responded. As he spoke, the light drizzle that had started became a downpour. You shivered, realizing how cold you were. "Cold?" Kouen asked, watching you retreat deeper into the cave. "Careful, you don't know if there are bats," He added.
"Don't worry, it's too shallow for bats," You told him. Sure enough, you reached the end of the cave before any bats could poop up. "Burr! I wish we could have a fire started!" You complained, rubbing your shoulders.
"If you want to go out in that, be my guest." Kouen invited as he brought the horses towards you, maneuvering them to act as a windbreak. It did help, but just a bit. You shivered, knowing that the male next to you was just a little warmer. Lucky him, having more to heat him up! "It would help to have some-" You heard Kouen kick something. Seconds later, you were sitting in front of a lantern, still shivering.
"I wonder who would leave a perfectly good lantern around?" You asked, looking at the candle. It did seem pretty new. In fact, there were some more abandoned supplies beside you. But they were mostly spoiled food. "Euch!"
"It was probably some bandit's hideout," Kouen commented, looking over the crates. "We could probably use those and the food to start a fire." He suggested. You shook your head.
"Too wet,"
"You forgot so quickly?" Kouen asked, holding up his sword. Oh, yeah. He had Astaroth! Moving to a farther rock, you let Kouen make a fire. Then you bounced up to him, reveling in the heat.
"Thank you, Kouen~" You purred as you pulled the cloak around your shoulders a little tighter.
"It's still cold," Kouen responded in disdain. You chuckled, ignoring him. "At least the fire won't die out anytime soon," The male went on. Then he sighed, sitting down. You turned around, blinking.
"Aren't you gonna come closer to the fire?"
"No, I'll keep watch."
"I doubt that anyone, even wolves, would want spoiled supplies as a home." You pointed out. "I know your cold. At least take my cloak," You urged, looking at him softly. He shook his head once more.
"Thank you, but I'll be fine. Please, just stay warm." Kouen invited. You puffed, walking up to him. Taking off your cloak, you laid the fabric on his and your legs, hugging his arm. "What are you doing?!" He asked, surprised.
"I'm your healer. As such, I can't let you get a cold. If you refuse to go closer to the fire, then I'll stay with you and keep you warm." You responded, not moving.
"Y/n..."
"No. Doctor's orders."
"Why are you so stubborn?"
"Maybe I got it from you," You suggested as you let go. The two of you moved, setting your cloak down on the ground. Sitting close to each other, you smiled. "This is kind of nice, to be honest. Hearing the crackle of fire over the patter of rain. It's fun, right?"
"I didn't notice," Kouen responded. You looked at him, pouting. "What?"
"Don't 'I didn't notice' me, Prince Kouen! I know that you're kinda happy, too!" You told him. The prince sighed.
"Can't fool you in any way, can I?" He asked. You shook your head, smiling warmly. He grunted. "How do you do it? I mean, how do you smile so warmly? Everyone in the army loves seeing it. And yet you've seen all that happens on a battlefield..." Kouen thought aloud. You hummed, leaning your head on his shoulder.
"You don't mind, right?" Another grunt. "Thank you, Prince Kouen. Anyway, yes, I have seen all the pain that you and your soldiers have. But I also think that it's important to smile. Emotions are what makes a person human. Yes, we all have to feel some bad emotion and suffer. But we also get to make friends and have families and explore the world and learn and talk. It doesn't matter that a person suffers all their life, one day, they'll be able to see a sunrise and smile again. I believe that a person won't have to stay in one situation all their life. Even if you are part of a system, of a class, you can find happiness one day, you know?" You asked.
"Your faith in humanity is the most annoying part about you," Kouen commented. You punched him. "If you're going to punch me, do it right," the male ordered. You laughed, leaning on him once more. "Y/n?" You hummed. "You're really warm. Come closer," You blushed as his arm wrapped around you.
"I think this has become an official no zone. You're a prince, Prince Kouen." You pointed out.
"We're just sharing warmth so that we don't catch colds," Kouen responded. You nodded in agreement, noticing that Kouen's own cloak was now draped over the both of you. You smiled, blushing. The beating in your heart had yet to settle, but this was very nice. I really could stay like this for a while, you reflected sleepily. Closing your eyes, you let Kouen stay silent as darkness washed over you.
I guess I'll just follow where he leads, then.